Vapor generator



Oct. 11,1927. 11645,092

R. H. COLLINGHAM VAPOR GENERATOR Filed May 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Invento: RObeTt HCo imglfwam, bg f T H15 Attorney.

1,645,092 Oct- 11" 1927' R. H. coLLlNGHAM VAPOR GENERATORV Filed May 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i Invent-@rz l RObeTt HCC! lnghomn, i v b9 His Attorney.

Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFLE..

ROBERT HUGH COLLINGHAM, OF RUGBY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, 1X CORERATON OE NEVI YORK.

VAPOR GENERATOR.

Application filed MayQG, 1925, Serial No. 33,056, and in Great Britain June 26, 1924.

r)This `invention relates to vapor generators or boilers and more particularly to generators or boilers for vaporizing liquid which is contained in one or more revolving tubes. rl`he invention is especially well adapted for use where the liquid to be vaporized is mercury, and in the following specification is specifically described as being used with mercury. ltwill be understood, however,

i# that it is not necessarily limited thereto.

ll'Th-cn such generators are mounted. on a moving platform, for exampletwhen used on board a ship or air vessel, it is necessary to provide means for maintaining the static i head of the mercury feed on each of the tubes when the vessel on which the boiler is installed is pitching or rolling, or both.

Such movements of the vessel preclude the use of a common feed tanlr as the heads of U mercury on t-lie various tubes would obviously be unequal when the vessel was displaced from the normal level keel, and might result in some of the tubes being burned out owin Y to their being deprived of their supply of mercury.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for supplying mercury to all the tubes under an equal static head independently, and for a consideration o f what 50 l believe to be novel and my invention, at-

tention is directed to the accompanying' description and the claims appended thereto, ln the drawing, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a mercury feeding arrangement em- 7 bodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1., and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of a vessel litt-ed with a mercury feeding arrangement embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2, 5 are the revolving tubes of a mercury boiler of the revolving tube type, this being a now known type of boiler. 6 indicates a mercury turbine which is supplied with mercury vapor by means of a boiler comprising the revolving tubes 5. The last stage wheel of the turbine is indicated at 7 and the vapors discharged from it impinge against the cooling tubes 8 of a mercury condenser. do The mercury vapors discharged against the tubes 8 are condensed by them, and after being condensed, the liquid mercury drops doin into a .sump 9 formed at the lower portion of the cond-enser casing. In sump 9 are baflies 10 and 11 which extend at a right angle to each other and are provided with numerous openings 12 for the passage of the mercury. rEhe purpose of these baifles'is to deaden the surging action of the mercury when the ship is rolling and pitching. Beneath .sump 9 is a feed chamber 13 divided into compartments 14 `by suitable partition plates 15, there being as many compartments 14 as there are revolving tubes 5. ln partition plates 15 are liquid level equalizing pipes 16 which serve to connect adjacent compartments 14. Also in feed chamber13 are a` number of bailles 1Ga which eXtendat a right. angle toy partition plates 15. In bafHes 16"-- are openings 17. These battles serve in the saine manner as do ballles 10 and 11 to prevent surging action of the mercury when the ship is i'olling and pitching.

Sump 9 forms a liquid supply chamber and is connected to feed chamber 13 bytransversely extending pipes 18 and 19 having spaced inlet ends, the pipe 18 (Fig. 1) leading from the right hand side of sump 9 to the left. hand sidezof feed chamber 13, and pip-e 19 leading'. from the left hand side of sump 9 to the right hand side of feed chainber 13. Compartments 11i are each connected by pipes 20to one of the-revolving boiler tubes 5, the upper ends of these pipes terminating well within the feed chamber 13 and preferably just below the level equalizing pipes 16.

With the above described arrangement, the mercury from sump 9 flows through pipes 18 and 19 to the compartments in feed chamber 13, the level in the respective compartments being equalized by reason of the pipe connections 16. From compartments 14- the mercury is fed through pipes Q0 to n the revolving boiler tubes 5.

Conduit means for conveying mercury vapor from the boiler tubes`5 to the turbine is not shown in the drawing. Any suitable arrangement may be used.

rllie operation of the invention will be more readily understood from a considera* tion of Fig. 3 wherein a mercury boiler comprising three revolving tubes 5 is shown, mounted in a ship indicated in voutline at 21. The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2,'and the same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts. It will be noted that with this arrangement, although the ship is tilted toward the right, nevertheless the mercury liquid Will continue to be fed from sump 9 to feed chamber 13 by reason of the particular arrangement of the feed tubes 18 and 19.

It Will 4also be clear that either tube 18 or level of the liquid in the compartments let of feed chamber 13 will each assume levels as indicated by the lines 22. In each 1nstance, however, the head of mercury on the Vtube 20 will remain the same, such heads being represented by the characters h1, k2 and ha, which, in each instance, it Will be seen, are equal.

In connection with the tubes 1G, it is their function to at all times vmaintain the level of the liquid in the respective compartments 14 at the same height and they will serve to perform this function by reason of the fact that they are of a length such Vas to extend from approximately the center of one compartment tothe center of the other.

'In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have describedV the principle of operation `of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may becarried out by other means. v

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination, a boiler comprising a plurality of boiler tubes, a liquid chamber located above said tubes, means providingl a plurality vof compartments in said chamber, means for supplying` `liquid to said compartments, saidmeans including a liquid supply chamber and conduits having spaced inlet endsl connected with said supply chamber, said inlet ends being spaced Aapart in a. horizontal direction, and conduits connecting said compartments to said tubes.

2. In combination, a boiler comprising a plurality of boiler tubes, a liquid chamber located above said tubes, means providing a plurality ofrcompartments in said chamber, means including supply pipes having horizontally spaced inlet ends for supplying liquidr to said compartments, conduits vconnecting said compartments to said tubes, and means for equalizing Vthe liquid levels in said compartments.

3. In combination, a boiler comprising a plurality of boiler tubes, means providing a plurality of liquid compartments located above the tubes, conduits connecting said compartments to said tubes, a source of liquid supply, and means for conveying liquid therefrom to said.compartments, said means comprising a liquid supply chamber and transversely extendingA pipes rhaving horizontally spaced inlet ends connected with said supply chamber.

Ll. In combination, a boiler comprising a plurality of tubes, a liquid feed chamber located above -the tubes, said chamber being provided with av plurality of compartments, conduits connecting said compartments to said tubes, means for equalizing the liquid levels in said compartments, a liquid supply chamber located above the liquid feed chamber, and feed pipes Which extend from each side of the liquid supply chamber to the opposite side of the liquid feed chamber.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of May1925.

ROBERT HUGH COLLINGHAM. 

